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STEAM SEPARATOR.

Patented sept. 15,1891.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F.. LONGVELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VESTINGHOUSE,CHURCH, KERR (i: COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

STEAM-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,498, datedSeptember 15,1891.

Application met July 7, 1890. sain No. 357,949. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. LONGWELL, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful`Improvements in Steam-Separators; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description'thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has for its primary object to provide automatic means forpreventing the passage of water from steam-separators into or throughthe pipeto which it is desired to furnish dry steam in case theseparator becomes flooded from any cause.

The invention has for another object to provide the separator with analarm device denoting the presence of an excessive accumulation ofWater' therein or that the cessation of steam iiow to the engine orother apparatus becomes stopped or otherwise fails to carry off thewater accumulated in the separatorchamber, and such accumulated water issometimes thrown forward through the steam-pipe to the engine or otherapparatus supplied by such steam-pipe with more or less disastrousresults.

By the first feature of the present invention it is proposed to obviatethis difficulty automatically through the agency of a valve in the steampipe or passage leading to or from the separator and closed by theaction of the water accumulated thereby.

By the second feature of the invention it is proposed to sound an alarmdenoting that the cessation of steam-flow to the engine or otherapparatus, resulting from lthe closure of the valve referred to, is dueto an excess of Water in the separator, in order that the attention ofthe engineer may be at once directed to the place of the difficulty.

This invention is adapted to be applied to any form of separator and maybe made a part of the `separator itself or applied as an attachmentthereto.

In the accompanying drawings,il1ustrating certain forms of my invention,Figure l is a central vertical section of a steam-separator of familiarconstruction, having all features of my improvement, applied thereto,the valve and its closing mechanism being shown as a part of theseparator apparatus. In this figure the inlet and outlet steam passagesof the separator are arranged on opposite sides of the separator-chamberat its top. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper portion of theseparator as constructed in Fig. l, looking from right to left of thelatter figure,

a part of the fiange being broken away.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a separator having inlet and outlet at thetop and bottom, respectively. In this figure the float belonging to thevalve mechanism is arranged within the separator-chamber; but the valveitself is arranged in a detachable section of the outlet-pipe. Fig. Lrepresents the same kind of a separator as that shown in Fig. 8, butillustrates the float-chamber as distinct from the separator-chamber andthe valve in a detachable portion of the outlet-pipe. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of a separator having lateral inlet and outlet steam passagesat the upper end ofthe separator-chamber and having a separatefloat-chamber and a detachable pipe-section containing the valve.

Describing the figures of the drawings in their order, A, Fig.l,represents a steam-separator, of which a and a are respectively theinlet and outlet steam pipes, arranged oppoY ysite each other at the topof the separatorchamber. A is the pipe leading from the bottom of theseparatorchamber, through which the water taken from the steam by thelatter should be normally withdrawn either to a trap or some otherdevice for its proper disposition.

In one of the passages ce or a', and preferably in the outlet-pipe o',is arranged a butterIiy-valve B, working on a shaft b, which passesthrough a stuffing-box b', Fig. 2, in the side of the pipe a. Exteriorto the pipe a the shaft b is provided with on arm b2, carrying a weightb2, by which weight, when unopposed, the valve B will be turned into itsposition to close the passage 0,. As a suitable means for locking thevalve B in its open position, so long as the separator shall contain noundue accumulation of Water, the valve B is provided with aquadrant-shaped web b4 on its under side, presenting a shoulder at b5.With this shoulder engages a vertically-movable rod C, which at itslower end is attached to oneextremity of a eentrally-pivoted lever C',that carries at its opposite end a float O2. The rise ofA the iioat C2by an undue accumulation of Water in the lower part oftheseparator-chamber will vibrate the lever C upon its pivot c, depress therod C out of engagement with the shoulder b5, and release the valve B,so that it will automatically rotate into a position to close the pipe aby action of the weight h2.

In Fig. 3 a butterfly-valve corresponding with that shown in Fig. lissecured to the shaft b, which is pivoted in a detachable portion a2 ofthe outlet-steam pipe of the separator A, and the external weight-arm b2is provided with a latch b, the upper end of which projects laterally toform a shoulder at 197. tached to an arm C', that is rigidly secured toa shaft c, which in this instance projects through the side of theseparator and is eX- ternally provided with the weight-arm c', carryinga weight C3. Said shaft c is also provided with an arm c2, having itslower end bent laterally to catch beneath the shoulder 197 of the latchh6 on the Weight-arm b2 of the valve. The rise of the float C2 from anundue accumulation of water in the separator-chamber will swing the arme2 laterally from beneath the shoulder 57 and release the weightarm ofthe valve, so that the weight may fall and turn the valve into -itsclosed position Within the pipe a2. The application of a weight-arm cand weight C3 to the shaft c is not essential, but enables a solid floatC2 to be employed instead of a hollow one. Such external weight-arm mayobviously be appli ed to the shaft e in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4, A2 is a water-chamber in communication with theseparator-chamber through the pipes A and a2 at its lower end vandthrough the pipe a4 at its upper end. The float is arranged Within thisauxiliary chamber A2, instead of in the separator-chamber A, and, asillustrated, the shaft c of the iioat device has its rigid arm e2 bentat its lower end to engage with the straight weight-arm b2 of the valve,said valve being in this instance arranged Within a detachable extensiona2 of the outlet-pipe.

In Fig. 5 the separate oatchamber A2 opens at its upper end directlyinto the detachable valve-chamber d2 and communicates at its lower endthrough a pipe d2 with the water-delivery pipe A of the mainseparatorchamber. As shown in this figure, the float C2 The float seenat dotted lines at C2 is atconnects with a pivoted float-arm C by meansof a vertical rod e2, and the rotatable shaft e has its rigidlocking-arm e2 arranged vertically to stand beneath the end of theweightlever h2 of the valve. The valve is in this instance located in adetachable section a2 of the outlet-pipe, as in the preceding Figs. 3and 4.

Recurring to Fig. l, D represents a high- Water alarm of familiarconstruction containing a float which is connected with a valve attheupper end of the steam and Water chamber D', through which valvesteam on the elevation of the float is admitted to a whistle or otheralarm device. The steam which sounds the alarm is admitted to thechamber D through the pipe d', communicating with the steam-space of theseparator-chamber at a point above that to Which water may accumulate inthe separator before the valve-actuating oat C2 shall release the valveB. This alarm device will be likely to act in ease of failure on thepart of the valve-closing mechanism and signal to the engineer thepresence of an excessive quantity'of Water in the separator-chamber.junction with the valve-controlling mechanism to signal the engineerthat the stoppage of the engine or other apparatus worked through theseparator is due to flooding of the separator, and he may thereforeproceed at once to the source of the difliculty.

The variety of iigures here illustrated is intended to indicate that theinvention may be applied to various forms of separators and in numerousWays while preserving its characteristic mode of operation, and I do notwish `to be limited to either or all of the particular constructionsshown, inasmuch as various other modifications may be employed withoutdeparture from said invention.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with a steam-separator havinginlet and outlet steam passages, of a valve applied to one of saidpassages, a float subject to the action of water accumulated by theseparator, and intermediate mechanism engaged with said valve andoperated by the float to effect the closure of the valve.

2.- The combination, with a steam-separa` tor having inlet and outletsteam passages, of an automatically-closing valve applied to one of saidpassages, and a iioat mechanism subject to the action of wateraccumulated by the separator and having a catch connection with thevalve which is released by the rise of the float.

3. The combination, with a steam-separator, of a separate float-chamberlocated outside of and communicating with the separating-chamber, aseparate valve-chamber connected in a steam-passage of the separator, avalve in said valve-chamber, and a float in the Heat-chamber arranged toeffect the closure of the valve upon the rise of the float.

It will also act in con- .e

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4. The combination, with a steam-separa In testimony that I claim theforegoing as tor provided with a valve in one of its steammy invention Iaffix my signature in presence passages, and a oat mechanism for closingof two witnesses.

said valve by the Water accumulated by the Y HENRY E. LON GWELL. 5separator, of a high-Water alarm arranged to Vitnesses:

signal an undue accumulation of Water in the a M. E. DAYTON,

separatenl C. CLARENCE POOLE.

